


of night and light and the half light

by slightlytookish



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gap Filler, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-20
Updated: 2012-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-19 03:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/568492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aurora couldn't face those nightmares on her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	of night and light and the half light

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the "don't stop" square on my Cotton Candy Bingo card and contains spoilers for all of Season 2. The title comes from W.B. Yeats' poem, "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven."

Aurora rested her head on Snow's knee and closed her eyes. She knew that she should feel ridiculous, that she should feel like a silly child for clinging to Snow like this but she couldn't help it. She couldn't face those nightmares again on her own. 

Snow's hand landed in her hair, combing through the tangles and gently unraveling the knots that had never been there when Aurora still lived in a palace, when she had maidservants to brush her hair and Philip was still alive and she never, ever had any nightmares.

She found herself drifting, hovering at the edge between wakefulness and slumber. She didn't want to give in to her exhaustion but she also knew that she needed to rest or else she would be too tired to continue on their journey. Already she was so much slower than the others, and she wasn't strong like Mulan or tough like Emma or clever like Snow. She knew that she was a burden to them, and she didn't want to give them any more reasons to wish that she had stayed behind.

Despite her efforts to stay awake Aurora must have dozed off, because when she woke with a start she saw that the fire had burned low and the moon had risen high over the trees. The hand in her hair was gone but Snow was still there, giving Aurora an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Please," Aurora said, still torn between foolishness and desperation. "Don't stop. Don't leave me."

Snow took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I promised I would stay with you until you fell asleep. I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," Aurora said. A log shifted on the fire, sending up a spark, and she couldn't suppress a shudder. It reminded her too much of her nightmare.

Snow noticed, of course. "Do you want to talk about it?" she said quietly.

"No," Aurora said, and firmly turned her back on the flames. 

Snow didn't press her. "All right," she said. "Come here. You really must try to rest." She patted her knee and when Aurora settled there once again Snow's hand went back to tracing patterns in her hair. 

Gradually, Aurora felt herself growing calmer. Her trembling stopped and the tears that had seemed so close to spilling over just a few moments before subsided. "I don't know why you're being so nice to me after what I did to you," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I feel terrible about it."

"You didn't mean it," Snow replied. "I know you didn't, deep in your heart."

"But I could have killed you! I almost did." 

Snow was quiet for a long moment. There was no sound aside from the crackling of the fire and the soft rustle of her fingers threading through Aurora's hair.

"You had just woken up from an enchantment," she said at last. "You were grieving. You were desperate. You had just lost everything that you loved most in the world." When she smiled again Snow looked older and sadder and wiser than Aurora had ever noticed before. "I understand what that feels like better than most people."

Much to her surprise Aurora found herself smiling a little in return. "Thank you," she said again, curling closer around Snow's leg. "Will you tell me more about your world? And about Henry? Maybe it will help me when I – when I dream again."

"I'd be happy to," Snow said, and this time Aurora could hear the smile in her voice. "Henry lives in a town called Storybrooke…"

Aurora closed her eyes and listened until the sound of Snow's voice lulled her to sleep.


End file.
